


Evolving Imperatives (for the occult and ethereal)

by Nonexistenz, phlintandsteel



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley has a Very Long Day(™), Crowley has had sex but never let a human top him, Digital Art, Egg Preg, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I am kinder to God in this than they probably deserve, Insecure Crowley, Kissing, Long-Haired Crowley, M/M, Mpreg, hand holding, hiding in Tadfield, steadfast Aziraphale, surprise egg preg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:20:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22320040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonexistenz/pseuds/Nonexistenz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/phlintandsteel/pseuds/phlintandsteel
Summary: Even after the world doesn’t end, Aziraphale is still a being of slow intimacies.  Crowley is just as patient as ever though, especially knowing that he and his angel are finally on the same page.  When Aziraphale decides he's ready for a deeper level of physical intimacy, they both end up getting the surprise of a lifetime.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 416
Collections: Good Omens Big Bang 2019





	Evolving Imperatives (for the occult and ethereal)

It wasn’t the first time there had been a shift in Crowley’s relationship with Aziraphale. The largest one before this, aside from their initial meeting, was when they agreed to The Arrangement in the first place. But this current one was so much larger than the previous shifts that they all paled in comparison, really. 

Getting to see Aziraphale look at him with that fond, loving expression, only to now have it be followed with a kiss? No matter how chaste, it always sent him to cloud nine when Aziraphale pressed his lips to Crowley’s. It was better than any wine, more intoxicating than any scotch, for his angel to tuck his face in the crook of Crowley’s neck and just leave it there. 

Like Crowley was something to be soaked up.

They moved slowly in the physical intimacy department, because of course they did, it was  _ Aziraphale  _ and Crowley would rather belly flop into a pool of holy water than  _ rush  _ him. But his angel did assure him right from the day after the world didn’t end, that Crowley was free to hold his hand any time he wished. It was a liberty that Crowley took shameless advantage of immediately, holding his hand in all manner of public places and inconvenient times. 

He’d never forget the incredible blush that painted the apples of Aziraphale’s cheeks the first time Crowley refused to let go of his hand to make some transaction easier.

“We’re  _ holding hands, _ remember, angel?” he leaned over and stage whispered to him. 

_ “Oh. _ Quite right. How silly of me,” Aziraphale had answered, the cashier thoroughly forgotten. 

He was pretty sure Aziraphale accidentally miracled something close to five hundred pounds onto the counter as they walked out, uttering a distracted “keep the change” behind him. Crowley wouldn’t bet on the exact amount though, since he’d been too busy enjoying looking at his flustered angel to bother with the details either.

The first time they had kissed, it was a long, millennia-in-coming kiss that left them both trembling. Aziraphale’s lips were  _ so soft, _ the kiss so filled with yearning that it would have been obvious to a complete stranger that there were thousands of years worth of pining behind it.

“Oh. I- I didn’t realize just how, um... _ intimate, _ that would be…” Aziraphale had said, looking up at Crowley’s face with a mixture of awe and love and shock. 

“I want to share every intimacy possible with you, Aziraphale, when we’re  _ both  _ ready,” Crowley had told him, looking him right in the eye as he bared his heart. No point in tiptoeing around it at that point. And Aziraphale’s face had  _ blossomed  _ at the comment, so Crowley knew he’d gotten it right. 

When it only took Aziraphale three years to start inquiring about how he might feel about  _ intercourse, _ Crowley preened. He’d honestly expected it might be the better part of a decade before Aziraphale was comfortable with exploring such a thing. 

“I’d be willing to give it a go,” Crowley said, grinning knowingly. 

Aziraphale didn’t quite blush, but he did adjust his posture just slightly, letting Crowley know that he had indeed gotten to him. 

“I just wanted to make sure that it was something you’d be ok with, darling, given our past... _ employments _ … Letting an angel make love to you?”

Crowley fumbled the bottle of wine he was pouring and nearly broke his wrist trying to catch it before it shattered. By the time he set it to rights, his pulse was pounding, his body gone still in a way that was far too telling of how hard he was trying to play it cool. When he looked up at Aziraphale, the angel’s eyebrows were raised, and it was clear he was doing his best to hold back a laugh. 

“Anytime,” Crowley said a bit breathlessly, swallowing hard as he watched Aziraphale realize how completely serious he was. 

_ “Crowley…” _

And suddenly they were kissing. The wine was gone, decorum forgotten, their arms wrapped around each other in a display of passion that took Crowley’s breath away. Aziraphale may need more time than the average being to work up to something, but once he was there, he dove in wholeheartedly. The unexpected way this moment had been dropped into his lap, so to speak, made Crowley physically  _ ache _ with the desire he’d held back so long. 

_ “Aziraphale…” _

They were in Crowley’s flat, stumbled into Crowley’s bed as they kissed, though their respective abodes had become more like mutual territory years ago. It gave Crowley a squirming, unnameable feeling, right in his middle, to have Aziraphale  _ love him _ in this place. 

“I’m of course familiar with the, um,  _ mechanics,” _ Aziraphale paused in their kissing to tell him, “But, I haven’t participated in the actual  _ act, _ before…”

Crowley’s initial reaction was to want to murmur “Of course not,” but it was immediately followed by a surge of disbelief that stayed his tongue. Of all the earthly pleasures Aziraphale had indulged in, he’d never tried this one? It seemed a bit out of character, honestly, until Crowley remembered how long it had taken Aziraphale to let  _ him  _ in. No mortal could be around long enough for the angel to even begin to feel a true closeness too... “Well, you’re doing splendidly,” he settled on instead, giving Aziraphale an encouraging smile. “I’ve not… I mean,  _ I have, _ but it’s been,” Crowley cleared his throat, “It’s been ages, and I haven’t been…”

Aziraphale raised an eyebrow at him, inviting him to continue even after Crowley trailed off. 

“I’m sure you can imagine that the sort of humans who wanted to get shagged by a demon in the old days weren’t looking for anything even approaching  _ love,” _ he pointed out with a bit of a huff, “Not that I would have given it to them anyway…”

There was just enough light in the room for Crowley to see the understanding spark in Aziraphale’s eyes.

“But you’d give it to me…” his angel said softly. 

Crowley wrapped his legs more fully around Aziraphale’s waist, like he could pull him closer with the move, even though Aziraphale was already laying on top of him. “Of course. You already have it,” Crowley affirmed confidently and then admitted helplessly. 

“I love you too, darling,” Aziraphale said as he ran a hand through Crowley’s hair and stole a few more kisses, blushing himself. “I wonder which side was responsible for inventing the concept of virginity,” he wondered as he miracled away their clothing. 

“Definitely Hell,” Crowley sighed as he ran his hands over Aziraphale, drinking in every curve and dip and softness.

“You know, I believe you might be right…” Aziraphale smiled, staring down at him adoringly. 

“I’d say no more talking,” Crowley deflected, “But I don’t suppose it would be realistic to ask that we  _ don’t _ debate the merits of good and evil while in bed…”

“Completely unrealistic,” Aziraphale said, his grin turning fond. 

“Could do with  _ a bit _ more kissing, though…” Crowley pouted in a clear display of coyly unnecessary seduction. 

Aziraphale obliged him with no hardship. There was something electric about kissing, something that may have been down to their natures, but may have just been because of the depth of their love as well.

One of them miracled some slick and Crowley showed Aziraphale how to open him up. He got the feeling his angel was taking his time with the act more so because of enjoying the experience than that he thought Crowley couldn’t handle him. Which was fine by Crowley. More than fine, if he was being honest. Every time Aziraphale acted like it was Crowley being part of something that was making a new experience special, the demon fell just a little bit more in love. 

By the time Aziraphale deemed him ready for the actual penetration, Crowley’s insides were a trembling mess, though he hoped it wasn’t obvious. 

“We should take this part slowly, or so I’ve heard,” Aziraphale all but whispered to him as he lined himself up. 

All Crowley could do was nod, his eyes never leaving Aziraphale’s face. His hands continued to stroke and pet and soak up every inch of the heavenly skin above him. Feeling his angel, the being he’d adored for all of human history, slide into him? It was a revelation. It was better than building galaxies or the view from Up Top. Crowley’s jaw dropped, his hands gripping Aziraphale tightly as if to hold him there forever. 

He’d never understood what humans were blathering on about when they talked about “two becoming one,” before, but now he did, now he did… Fuck, it made him reevaluate his understanding of the word  _ intimate  _ entirely. 

“Alright, love?” Aziraphale asked him a little breathlessly, searching Crowley’s face. 

Crowley nodded again, feeling tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. 

“Oh love…” Aziraphale kissed him, slowly and deeply. There was moisture in his eyes too when he pulled back. “Tell me when you’re ready…” Aziraphale murmured.

Crowley wanted nothing more in that moment than to hear Aziraphale call him “love” for the rest of eternity. “I’m ready, angel,” he answered, watching Aziraphale’s face soften even more at the term of endearment. 

They were long past the point of pretending that Crowley didn’t say “angel” as if there was a “my” in front of it every time. 

When Aziraphale began to move, it was overwhelming, the pleasure and connectedness and love of it all. The  _ closeness. _ Feeling Aziraphale moving deep within him brought up something primal in Crowley, something hot and scorching that tingled as it burned its way through his veins. He knew, just  _ knew, _ that even though he’d never let anyone else inside himself like this, there was no way it would have been like this with anyone but Aziraphale. Crowley found himself tumbling toward his orgasm far too quickly, but he couldn’t control it, couldn’t stop himself. He couldn’t help but give everything over to Aziraphale, his heart, mind, body, and soul. 

The ultimate pleasure coursed through him as he came, lighting up every one of Crowley’s nerve endings. Aziraphale thrust at the same time with one last urgent jerk, coming inside him as Crowley spilled across his own stomach. His angel’s face was an absolute sight, surprise and fondness and an almost giddy pleasure.

They both laid there panting afterward, limbs still entwined as they caught their breath. Aziraphale nuzzled and kissed at Crowley’s neck, as if he just couldn’t get enough of him. Crowley stroked Aziraphale’s back, sneaking in a squeeze of his ass after the intensity of the moment had passed. 

“Did you miracle us to come at the same time?” Aziraphale asked him, his tone amused. 

“Shut up,” Crowley groused, shifting to hide his face against Aziraphale’s shoulder. 

“Hmm, I love you too, you romantic old serpent,” Aziraphale chuckled. 

Crowley didn’t admit to anything, only clung to him tighter.

But he did mumble an “I love you,” back.

<//>

Over the course of the next two weeks, they fell into bed together at the end of every day, and sometimes in the afternoon as well. And once  _ before  _ noon, but since they hadn’t left the bed from the night before, it probably didn’t count as a separate instance. With a small bit of planning they barely had to use any more miracles at all, though Crowley did end up miraculously growing his hair out on one occasion, to provide some leverage. 

He decided to leave it long after that, since he’d had it short for over a decade now and felt like it was time to switch things up.

“We should go out for dinner tonight, angel,” Crowley suggested at the two week mark, “Seems like we haven’t been out in ages…”

“Hm? That’s probably because we’ve been  _ staying in,” _ Aziraphale pointed out. “I  _ could  _ go for some sushi though, Tadaki-san is probably wondering what’s become of me…” 

Crowley nodded along, as if it was a terrible shame. “Well,” he said, holding out his arm, “It’s a date then.”

Aziraphale still gave a little bashful tip of his head whenever Crowley made  _ gestures, _ but there was no hesitation in his taking of Crowley’s offered arm. 

“I suppose it is then.”

<//>

“You don’t usually go for wasabi…” was Aziraphale’s only comment when Crowley actually ordered himself a plate at the restaurant. 

“Just in the mood, I guess.”

He still watched Aziraphale eat with the same rapt attention as normal though, so the angel thought little of it.

<//>

The next day, Aziraphale got a bit immersed in his reading and before he knew it, the whole afternoon had passed him by. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual, but the lack of Crowley rousing him to suggest dinner was. 

When he went looking, thoroughly expecting to find a bit of  _ trouble _ due to the especially still quality that the silence in the shop had taken on, all he found was Crowley curled up fast asleep in a patch of sun in the front room. He debated on whether or not to cover him up with a throw, finally deciding that yes, he would, since sleep seemed more enjoyable when you had soft things to curl up with. He knew Crowley was a much bigger fan of sleep than he was, so he didn’t even consider waking him. 

Aziraphale did stand there and watch the peaceful look on his face though, just for a moment.

<//>

“Oi, angel, how do you feel about kebabs?”

“From that place on the east side? That sounds delightful, actually.”

“Mm, I’ve always heard they do a mean baharat there.”

“In the mood for something spicy, love?”

“You could say that.”

<//>

Aziraphale used to be able to count on one hand the number of times that Crowley had actually consumed anything himself when they went out for a meal. Well, anything  _ solid, _ at least. That number suddenly doubling within the last week? It wasn’t necessarily cause for alarm, but it was certainly curious. 

“You’ve been having a great number of cravings, lately, love…” Aziraphale pointed out as casually as he could while watching Crowley throw a handful of raw peppers into his mouth. 

Crowley gave him a look like he was waiting for Aziraphale to say something that needed responding to. 

“What I meant was, if there was anything on your mind that preceded this new,  _ development, _ I should like to know about it? If you felt like sharing it with me, that is...”

Crowley swallowed his peppers and gave a little frown. 

“Not that I know of?” he shrugged, “Just feel like it, is all.”

Aziraphale nodded, chewing briefly on his bottom lip, as if he was unsure if he should go on. “It’s just, we’ve been through an awfully big upheaval, both of us, in these past few years… It would be enough to make any number of beings, um, reevaluate things, I imagine. Not that I’m complaining in the slightest about the eating and napping,” Aziraphale assured him, stepping closer, “It’s just, for all that we’ve admitted to the true nature of the feeling between us, neither of us have ever been particularly  _ prone to change…” _

Crowley threw a little fake defensiveness at him, knowing it would slide right off. “I’m pretty sure  _ introspection  _ is an angel thing, angel.” 

Aziraphale blinked at him, then said, “I do believe you’ve got that backwards, dear boy,” but the smile he delivered it with softened it. 

Crowley made a sheepish face and bobbed his head from one side to the other to indicate that Aziraphale might possibly,  _ maybe  _ be correct about that… You know, what with the whole  _ questioning  _ thing… 

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything to, um, think on it a bit,” Crowley conceded, looking directly into Aziraphale’s eyes, “You know I would never leave you out of anything important, angel, not on purpose. I really just hadn’t thought anything of it. I suppose, it just feels like a  _ physical urge, _ I’m not- I don’t think I’m  _ compensating  _ for anything…”

“Alright,” Aziraphale nodded, of course believing him, “You’ll keep me in the loop, though?” 

Crowley took one of Aziraphale’s hands and brought the back of it to his lips. “Always, angel. Now, what do you want for dinner? Anything at all, your choice.”

Aziraphale smiled and rubbed his thumb against Crowley’s hand where the demon had it tucked against his chin in between kisses. “I rather feel like something spicy, actually,” he said with a knowing light in his eyes. 

Crowley kissed Aziraphale’s knuckles again. “Not too spicy though, of course, or you’ll give yourself a spot of indigestion…”

“Hmm, if only I had a partner who was capable of miracling away the consequences of my highly questionable actions…” Crowley said coyly.

With a grin, Crowley pressed yet another kiss to Aziraphale’s hand as he said, “Always.”

<//>

Another week of hot sauce, chili powder, and raw devil’s tongue peppers went by before Aziraphale even realized it. With quite literally being immortal, a week could pass by in the blink of an eye. It took something really remarkable happening for a day to jump out at him. He’d left Crowley in bed having a lie in that morning while he went to open the bookshop, which in and of itself wasn’t that unusual, not for his new set of behaviors.

When Aziraphale came home that afternoon, Crowley was sitting in his ridiculous throne chair waiting for him, looking pale and drawn. He stood right away, though somewhat shakily, and held his hands out in front of him in a placating gesture that was far too sharp to be comforting.

“Don’t freak out.”

Aziraphale was instantly on alert, scanning the room quickly and settling right back on Crowley as he stepped forward. 

“Crowley? What on earth is going on? You look terrible, love…”

Crowley looked infinitely lost for a second, opening his mouth without any words coming out, then shutting it again. 

Aziraphale quickly closed the distance between them, pulling Crowley into his arms. Thankfully he went willingly to be held, without any fuss. He opened and closed his mouth as if to speak a couple more times, each of them fruitless.

“I… Perhaps it would be best, if I just showed you…” Crowley finally said. 

Aziraphale nodded. Crowley stumbled as they turned to head toward the bedroom. Aziraphale instantly steadied him, much to his growing concern.

“Sorry, body’s still a bit, discombobulated,” Crowley said, leaning heavily against his angel. 

“Crowley, you weren’t  _ discorporated, _ were you? Please tell me you haven’t been to Hell just now…” Aziraphale asked, wondering if that was so, how on earth he’d gotten back…

“What? No, not discorporated,” Crowley frowned. He paused in front of the bedroom door. “Remember not to freak out, alright?” he reiterated with a wince. 

“I’ll try my best,” Aziraphale assured him, beginning to get the idea that it wasn’t  _ danger  _ that they were in.

Crowley nodded back, pushing open the door with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Aziraphale’s shoulders. 

As they moved inward, Aziraphale could tell Crowley’s gaze was firmly on their bed, so he directed his own there as well. He fully intended to help Crowley  _ into  _ said bed anyway, so he made for it as he let his eyes adjust to the low light. 

There, in the middle of the mattress, was their softest tartan blanket wrapped around-

“Oh my,” Aziraphale nearly dropped Crowley in his shock, “Is that? An  _ egg?...” _

Crowley nodded as he carefully sat on the edge of the mattress, not taking his eyes off Aziraphale’s face. 

“Just, to be perfectly clear,” Aziraphale asked, his gaping gaze switching from the egg to Crowley and then back again in disbelief, “You…  _ Laid, _ this? This is, going to be our child?...”

“Not quite sure it’s going to be a  _ child…” _ Crowley said softly, his gaze flickering to the egg and then down to his hands, which were resting loosely in his lap.

Aziraphale immediately turned his full attention on Crowley. He cupped the love of his life’s face and brought it up to look at him. “Its physical appearance is irrelevant, Crowley, you know that,” he said, swiping a thumb under Crowley’s eye. “What matters is that it’s ours… Or, rather, it actually doesn’t matter to me if I didn’t have a hand in it, it’ll still  _ be _ ours... I mean, there’s always been a bit of a question Up Top as to whether or not demons could reproduce asexually…” he trailed off, as if asking Crowley to elaborate.

“I don’t. I never  _ have, _ I- … I’ve never had anything resembling a  _ cycle, _ I had no idea this could happen,” Crowley answered in a whisper. 

“But you think it  _ is _ ours, if I understand you correctly?” Aziraphale asked, his chest filling with barely concealed joy at the thought. 

Crowley nodded. “I told you I’d never lain with a human  _ like that _ before, Aziraphale. Then a month after I let you inside me, I pop out this? The logic seems rather inescapable from my end.” 

“I suppose so…” Aziraphale said, continuing to hold Crowley’s face in his hands. “We’re going to be parents,” he added brightly, a slow smile spreading over his face, “Erm,  _ again, _ sort of…”

“I don’t think that actually counts, angel.”

“I think the gaming system you sent Warlock for his last birthday says otherwise, love…”

Crowley buried his face against Aziraphale’s stomach, half protest, half acquiescence. 

“...I’m not playing the evil nanny this time.”

“Of course not,” Aziraphale said fondly, his smile starting to become virtually transcendent, “I’ll be the evil nanny this time, and you can be the benevolent gardener.”

Crowley lifted his head to glare at Aziraphale. 

Aziraphale just smiled back serenely. 

Crowley was no match for it. 

“Perhaps we can both just aim for neutral,” he suggested with a huff, giving his angel’s waist a squeeze. 

“That sounds perfectly doable,” Aziraphale said as he ran a hand through Crowley’s hair in a soothing motion, noticing again just how much Crowley was leaning against him. “I think you should probably lie down now, darling. Would it be alright if I joined you?”

“Of course.”

Aziraphale guided Crowley onto his side where he could loosely curl around the little nest of their egg. Then he went around the bed and very carefully crawled in, until he was close enough to offer another wall of protection. 

The two of them just stared into each other’s eyes for a minute, questions and emotions that Crowley had never given voice to passing between them. 

When he finally spoke, his eyes had already given away what he was about to say. 

“Aziraphale? I’m scared…”

Normally, Aziraphale could hold onto his optimistic attitude through quite a few rounds of Crowley’s nay-saying...but not in this. This wasn’t a theoretical argument or debate over the other’s nuance of wording. His face fell as the reality, as the very valid reasoning behind Crowley’s words sank in. 

“If they find out about this…  _ When _ they find out about this, it won’t be something they’re willing to ignore,” Crowley said, shaking his head with the inevitability. 

“Not Heaven either…” Aziraphale admitted. 

“I meant both from the start,” Crowley softly corrected him. 

Aziraphale grimaced, but nodded. 

“...What are we going to do? What  _ can _ we do? It was all well and good to run away when no one would really be looking for us, but this is the kind of thing they’ll  _ hunt us down _ for,” Crowley said, getting more and more worked up as he talked.

Aziraphale reached for him, mindful of the precious bundle between them, and pulled Crowley’s forehead to rest against his own. “It won’t end like that, I promise, Crowley.”

“You can’t know that,” Crowley said, sounding distraught, “You know they’re always  _ observing _ earth, can review it at any time. Even if they haven’t realized what happened yet, they  _ will  _ eventually. They’ll have  _ every reason _ to look.” 

Aziraphale suddenly realized that every ounce of the fear showing on Crowley’s face was because of the strength of the  _ love  _ behind it. “Well, I suppose it’ll be time to test the extent of what Grace I have left then,” he said decisively. 

“What?” Crowley asked, confused. 

“My darling,” Aziraphale said, drawing his courage to him, “I’ve been Heaven’s main operative down here for millennia. I know all about the earth observation files, I… I helped  _ build  _ the system,” Aziraphale winced apologetically, “I just didn’t envision, at the beginning, a time when it would be, well, used  _ against  _ me… It was already in the works long before we even had our initial Arrangement.”

Crowley looked at him with a wary hope.

“The point is, I could...take us  _ off the grid _ with a big enough miracle. Erase the last twelve hours or so and make it so they can’t see us anymore. I mean, God Herself can of course look down on earth anytime She wants to, but, no one short of the Almighty would be able to find us.”

“And if She decided to get involved?...”

“I rather think She already knows, love,” Aziraphale pointed out, “And if She hasn’t struck us down yet, well…” Aziraphale shrugged, because they both knew all too well that God’s reasoning in any given situation was beyond comprehension. 

Crowley looked greatly heartened at his words, so much so that Aziraphale felt a kiss wouldn’t be out of place. After they pulled apart again, Crowley kept his eyes closed for a moment. 

“You know-  _ You  _ know, I never truly meant to  _ defy  _ Her…” he whispered.

“I know, love...” Aziraphale assured him. 

“Do you really think you can do it? That big of a miracle, in these days?” Crowley asked him, blinking his eyes open. 

Aziraphale took a steadying breath, letting it out slowly. “I do. I have to. I won’t let a single soul, from Heaven or Hell, lay a finger on our family,” he said firmly. “It’ll take a huge expenditure of power though, so we’ll need to move quickly afterward. Something like that being miracled, well, all of Heaven is going to notice it.” 

“Hell has something similar, though, it only piggy-backs off the human’s technology. And don’t feel bad about being involved in the earth observation system, angel, I’m pretty much entirely to blame for Hell’s setup as well… They didn’t even know what computers were until I explained them to them. As long as we  _ moved quickly _ to somewhere without a telly or any other type of screen, they’d be none the wiser either,” Crowley pointed out. He snapped his fingers and two suitcases appeared at their feet. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling well enough for it?” Aziraphale double checked. 

“Of course. The longer we wait, the further back you’ll have to go in deleting the files, right? Best to get it over with,” Crowley said, giving Aziraphale a quick kiss before he sat up. He opened the suitcase at his own feet, revealing a foam lining the exact shape and size to accommodate their egg. 

“What’s the other one for?” Aziraphale asked.

Crowley carefully picked up the egg, cradling it with both hands as he slowly set it in the suitcase. Once it was snapped closed and locked, he turned and gave Aziraphale a peck on the cheek.

“It’s your books, angel. We couldn’t exactly go back to the shop either, after this…”

Aziraphale’s face broke into a fond smile, recalling the other time Crowley remembered his books when Aziraphale himself had not. 

“Oh… It won’t hurt you, either of you, will it? For me to be at my full power?” Aziraphale suddenly worried. “You had a difficult time of it in that church, I remember…”

“We’ll be ok, if it’s you,” Crowley said, returning the fond smile from a moment ago, “We’d better both be sitting down for this, though, come ‘round to my side, angel.” 

Aziraphale gave him a wry smile for the play on words, but did as he was asked. Crowley placed both suitcases behind them as they sat side by side on the edge of the bed. Then he picked up the tartan blanket and threw it around Aziraphale’s neck like a ridiculously over sized scarf. 

“Ready when you are, angel,” he said, taking Aziraphale’s hand. 

“Right. I’ll discreetly erase the back footage first, then when the passive monitoring goes down, you’ll feel a pop in the air pressure. It would be wise to move us  _ immediately  _ after that,” Aziraphale told him. 

Crowley nodded seriously.

They each squeezed the other’s hand. 

Aziraphale turned and looked straight ahead, his eyes going distant as he concentrated. Miracling away the accumulated footage was actually the easy part, so he went back a bit farther than he really needed to in an effort to throw off suspicion. Hopefully a full twenty-four hours would do it. On the plus side, since neither of them had been expecting anything at all like this, their conduct beforehand shouldn’t be too telling…

Crowley watched his angel with bated breath, using a small demonic miracle to make sure his own timing would be absolutely perfect. He was already quite exhausted from the day’s events, but he was willing to push himself for something important. 

Aziraphale began to glow beside him, his light casting odd shadows around the room. At its height it was nearly blinding, but it didn’t  _ hurt. _

Aziraphale could never hurt him. 

Before the pop had even finished resounding in his ears, Crowley whisked himself, Aziraphale, both suitcases, and the Bentley to a safe location. His head immediately drooped backwards onto the seat though, as it did end up taking him past his normal limits, power wise. 

Aziraphale frowned as he glanced out the windshield. 

“Tadfield? I thought for sure you’d have taken us to alpha centauri…” 

“Maybe later. Didn’t have the energy…” Crowley admitted. 

Aziraphale squeezed his hand. Crowley returned the gesture, but stayed sprawled back in his seat. 

“Well, shall we head in, love?” Aziraphale asked.

“You should go ahead, make sure it’s safe. Make sure they haven’t put in a big screen surround sound monstrosity that we don’t know about… I’ll stay here and...keep guard,” Crowley suggested tiredly. 

Aziraphale glanced at the suitcases in the backseat as he said, “I highly doubt it, what with Newton’s still being unemployed after all these years… Anathema does come from some degree of money though, so I suppose it’s  _ possible…” _

“Just, humor me, Aziraphale,” Crowley asked. 

“Alright… Should I send some sort of signal if the coast is clear?”

“If the coast is clear, come back for me. I’m not actually sure I can walk under my own power right now…” Crowley admitted, sighing as Aziraphale immediately began to worry. 

It took five minutes of fruitlessly checking him over for Aziraphale to finally be willing to leave Crowley’s side, and in that time, Anathema and Newt had noticed their arrival. When she knocked on the passenger side window, it nearly gave Aziraphale a heart attack.

“Hey guys, is this a surprise visit?” she asked when he opened the door, having grown quite fond of being surprised in the last few years. 

“No, this is an emergency visit,” Aziraphale said apologetically as he got out, “I’m afraid Heaven and Hell are most certainly going to be looking for us, and this was the safest place Crowley could think of on short notice…”

“You’re welcome to stay here, always,” Anathema said, “Should... Do we need to call Adam?” she asked, leaning forward a little in her seriousness.

“I don’t think that will be necessary at this juncture,” Aziraphale said, moving around to the driver’s side, “Just his presence keeping everyone else  _ out  _ of Tadfield like usual is likely enough for now.” 

Anathema and Newt nodded along, their worry not exactly dissipated to hear it... 

Aziraphale opened the driver’s door to find Crowley had already pulled the  _ important  _ case out of the back. 

He slowly and carefully handed it over with a pointed look. 

“You carry this, Aziraphale, I know you’ll guard it with your life. The other two can help me in,” he instructed. 

“Of course, love… Alright, let’s not dally about now,” Aziraphale motioned Anathema and Newt over. 

They were able to get Crowley out of the car, each slinging one of his arms over their shoulders. It was a lopsided drag of a walk, but they made it. 

“I think you’ve forgotten a bag,” Newt pointed out. 

“Oh, be a dear, would you? Neither of us should really be doing anymore miracles in the foreseeable future,” Aziraphale said, fretting over Crowley collapsing onto the couch. 

Newt went to grab the other suitcase while Crowley laid out on the sofa with the case containing the egg resting on his chest. Crowley never remembered being this exhausted before, not when he had stopped time or even decided to sleep away most of the 19th century. Not that he could afford to nod off for the rest of  _ this _ century, but it was tempting… He assumed it was mostly because of the events of this morning. Laying the egg was,  _ an experience, _ to put it lightly. Thankfully his body seemed to have instinctively known what was going on and what to do, because Crowley definitely missed this page in his “So You’ve Fallen From Heaven” handbook. 

“Love? Anathema was kind enough to prepare us the spare room while I explained things,” Aziraphale whispered softly to him, “Would you like a spot of tea before we turn in, or, something more substantial?...”

“I don’t know if I’m in the mood for food anymore,” Crowley told him, his eyes sliding closed once more of their own volition. 

“Well, it might help you regain your strength a bit more quickly, seeing as how it helped with the, er, carrying…” 

He actually had a bit of a point there.

Crowley handed the suitcase off to Aziraphale and managed to push himself into a sitting position. Anathema presented him with a tofu burger, which Crowley proceeded to dump half a bottle of hot sauce on and eat in approximately three bites, licking his fingers afterward like a heathen. 

“We have crisps too,” Newton offered, seeing how quickly the burger was devoured. 

“What kind?” Crowley asked.

“Cheese and onion,” Newt called out from the kitchen, causing Crowley to make a face, “Or Salt and Vinegar.”

“Vinegar’s good,” Crowley answered, leaning back and letting his eyes fall to half mast. He actually did feel a bit better, but he was still a long way off from being in top form. After he munched on the crisps, pretending that he didn’t notice everyone in the room staring at him, he told Aziraphale he was ready for bed. 

Since they’d left with nothing in the way of clothing except what was on their backs, and couldn’t afford the attention of creating miracles, they both decided to sleep in their undergarments rather than borrow anything from Newt or Anathema. 

Crowley was still feeling extra protective as they arranged the tartan nest between the two of them, so he unfurled his wings, covering both it and Aziraphale by necessity. Aziraphale smiled at him, one of his genuinely happy, love you forever smiles, and unfurled his own wings as well. They fell asleep under their feathery shelter with a new kind of hope for the morning that neither of them had ever experienced before. 

<//>

“I reckon as long as you lay low and stay in Tadfield, you should be safe for now,” Adam decided the next day. The boy, bless him, er, curse him?... No, that wasn’t right either…  _ Thank him, _ probably, was closest to how Crowley felt... Anyway, Adam and The Them were there when Crowley woke up that afternoon, after having had an extended lie in that morning at Aziraphale’s urging. He still felt drained and a bit peckish, truth be told, so he raided Anathema's fridge while he digested teenage proclamations. 

“How is it that you’re able to keep Tadfield from interference anyway?” Crowley asked, sticking an entire hard boiled egg in his mouth, shell and all, then swallowing it whole. 

“Well, as best I can figure, I created a bit of a paradox when we stopped the world ending,” Adam said, “Satan was defeated, but if I’d actually  _ never  _ been his son, then I wouldn’t have had the power to alter reality at all, so I do still have some power, it’s just not enough to bend all of reality to my will anymore... Best not to think about it too hard, really,” he shrugged, going back to petting Dog at his feet. 

Crowley blinked at him, but the gesture was a bit lost behind his sunglasses. 

Adam probably still knew though. 

Probably.

Crowley popped another egg in his mouth, caring for function over form at the moment and just wanting the protein. 

“Oi, isn’t that, like, cannibalism?” Brian spoke up, his voice cracking with puberty a little as he watched Crowley eat, a weird sort of fascination on his face.

Pepper leveled Brian with a look of utter disgust, which only true friends could get away with giving to each other, as she said, “He’s not a  _ chicken  _ demon.”

“Exactly what kind of demon is he, excuse me, are you then, Mr. Crowley?” Wensleydale piped up. 

Crowley glanced over and got an expectant look from Aziraphale, as if to say the ball was in Crowley’s court and he wasn’t going to interfere with this particular conversation topic. Transforming his body wasn’t a miracle, rather just a sort of enhanced biological function, so he let a little extra snake slip into his mouth as he stuck his tongue out at them. 

Wensleydale let out a “Whoa,” and Brian’s jaw dropped. Pepper wasn’t particularly impressed, but then again she’d probably figured it out ages ago herself. Not that Crowley had had a  _ whole  _ lot of interactions with them...

Adam grinned and said, “Wicked.”

Crowley gave him A Look over the tops of his shades. 

“Are you any particular kind of angel, then, Mr. Aziraphale?” Wensleydale asked next, taking a moment to push his glasses up properly to the bridge of his own nose. 

“Oh. Well, technically I am a Principality, charged with guiding and influencing entire groups of humanity,” Aziraphale informed them with a jovial smile. 

“But can you turn into anything cool, like a lion or a wolf, or maybe a falcon?” Brian asked, his interest piqued. 

“Turn into something  _ cool? _ ... I’m afraid not,” Aziraphale said a bit blandly, watching Crowley attempt to hold back a snicker. 

“Oh. Well that’s a bit boring, honestly,” Brian said, slumping a little in his seat. 

Crowley let go of his snicker. 

“Come now, if he was to be in his true form, it would probably level poor Jasmine Cottage, what with all the extra wings and eyes and such,” Adam spoke up in his defense. 

“Quite true,” Aziraphale nodded, folding his hands in front of him, “The material plane is not meant to accommodate our true ethereal forms.” 

“Plus, that would definitely draw us some unwanted attention,” Crowley added, going for another hard boiled egg. 

“Indeed,” Aziraphale agreed, tipping his head toward Crowley. 

Adam and The Them left not too long after that, having just popped in on their way to the ice cream shop. Wensleydale did offer his services as a babysitter on their way out though, should they ever need one. 

“I’ve always been good with children and I’ve recently got my CPR certification,” he assured them seriously.

“Right… I’ll keep that in mind,” Crowley said with a wave as the group headed down the front walk. Once the door was closed, he turned to Aziraphale. “Did you ring them up?” 

“No, my dear. When they showed up, they just,  _ already knew…” _ Aziraphale added a bit helplessly. 

“Huh. I wonder if he felt the earth observation system go down…” Crowley mused.

“It could be. Or his control of reality could somehow tie in to a knowledge  _ of _ reality…” Aziraphale supposed. 

“Probably best not to ask him,” Crowley decided, “Getting him  _ thinking too hard _ about things may end up with them being altered.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with you on that one,” Aziraphale said. 

“...Earth observation system?” Newt asked, with Anathema mirroring his questioning expression. 

Crowley immediately pointed at Aziraphale, for the blame and the explanation. “Talk to that one. I’m going upstairs to check on things.”

Aziraphale winced. 

“Well, you see, humans do reproduce at quite an alarming rate, and it was becoming rather difficult to keep track of them all…”

Crowley smiled to himself on his way out of the room. 

Upstairs, things were just as he’d left them. Their egg was wrapped up securely in Aziraphale’s spare blanket, with no evidence of tampering or attempted entry into the room. Crowley didn’t necessarily feel the urge to sit and guard their little impromptu nest  _ per se… _ But he could admit to himself that he certainly was experiencing a heightened protectiveness over it. 

Thank god most snakes didn’t brood on their nests, that would have just been embarrassing. 

As it was, he had nothing to do and no plans for the foreseeable future, so Crowley gently laid back down on the bed. He started with his hand extended outward, resting mostly on the tartan and just brushing the shell with his thumb. The texture was leathery, like a snake’s egg, though there was only one and not a whole clutch of them. He ended up with the bundle snugged up against his abdomen a few minutes later, his hand cupped protectively around it. 

That was how Aziraphale found him some minutes later. 

“My dear? Are you,  _ brooding?” _

Crowley hissed at him. 

Aziraphale held his hands up in surrender. 

Crowley grumbled and hid his face in the pillow. 

“Darling, my love, would it be ok if I joined you?” Aziraphale asked softly. 

Crowley nodded, not trusting his voice just then. To his surprise, Aziraphale didn’t move to the other side of the bed, but urged Crowley to bunch up more toward the middle and then laid down behind him. He wrapped his arm around Crowley’s midsection and placed a gentle kiss on the back of his neck. He didn’t try to reach the egg around Crowley’s protective stance, just supported his arm from below. 

“Love you,” Crowley croaked out, feeling like he’d cycled through far too many emotions in the last 24 hours to possibly keep any sort of equilibrium. 

“I love you too, Crowley,” Aziraphale assured him, “It’s going to be ok. We’re as safe as we can possibly be right now. And once our child is, um, hatches, the world will only become safer and safer for them as they grow and come into their own power.”

Crowley nodded just a touch desperately, wanting to believe. He couldn’t help but continue to ultimately be himself though. “And what if they don’t have any power? What if they’re just… _ normal?” _

“Well, I think, in that scenario, they might be even safer than in any other, if they were just,  _ normal, _ as you put it,” Aziraphale said, “Nobody would have any cause to be upset to begin with…”

“We cancel each other out...” Crowley added hopefully. 

“Exactly. It’s entirely possible that our child will be a perfectly lovely, normal little human-ish being, with our occult and ethereal natures cancelling each other out… Or perhaps they’ll even be a snake,” Aziraphale added in the same soothingly accepting tone, knowing Crowley had seemed worried before about the potential for a lack of human features. 

“You really wouldn’t mind?” Crowley asked, the burgeoning tears obvious in his voice. “Because… Because the odds are, considering the whole egg thing…” he trailed off, since his point was rather obvious. 

“I really wouldn’t, my love. Any child of ours will be loved with the entirety of my heart, no matter their form, just as with you,” Aziraphale said, giving Crowley a squeeze to punctuate it. 

Crowley had to wipe at his eyes a bit afterward, but he did feel much better for having addressed the possibility out in the open. 

“If I may be so bold, my dear, I’ve already been thinking of names,” Aziraphale told him, keeping his face pressed comfortingly against the back of Crowley’s neck. 

“Yeah? What have you come up with so far?” Crowley asked, a smile creeping in over his face. 

“I was thinking of ‘Shai’, actually.”

“...You would name our child a ‘gift’?” Crowley asked quietly.

“Yes,” Aziraphale replied simply yet firmly. 

“That- That sounds perfect, actually,” Crowley agreed, feeling emotional all over again. Bah, he’d never live this down later, he knew, but he couldn’t help but tear up a little all over again. 

Wisely, Aziraphale didn’t comment, he just continued holding Crowley until they both drifted off into a light sleep. 

<//>

Three months later, a burst of energy from their egg pretty much dashed any hopes they had that their offspring might be ordinary enough to be overlooked by their former bosses. Crowley and Aziraphale had been watching closely for signs of hatching, so they were quick to take each other’s hand and settle in close. All that remained to be seen now was the form their child would take. 

A section of shell bulged outward, but didn’t quite tear. 

“Come on, little one, you can do it,” Crowley murmured. 

Aziraphale wanted so badly to help, but he knew he  _ should not, _ so he took to squeezing Crowley’s hand in both of his instead. Crowley squeezed back, but didn’t take his eyes off the miracle unfolding in front of them. 

Finally, after a few more tries, the shell was breached, not by a snout or even a hand, but by a fully feathered black  _ wing. _ Crowley and Aziraphale both sucked in a surprised breath. Aziraphale made as if to reach for it, but Crowley pulled his hands back. 

“They’ve got to do this on their own, you know that, angel. It’ll be ok, there’s no signs of distress yet,” Crowley said soothingly, seeing that Aziraphale was nearly in tears. 

“Yes, you’re quite right, I know. It’s just so awful to be stuck here watching, unable to do a thing to help,” he lamented. 

“I know… You’d think having watched humanity struggle for all these years would have toughened us up some… But I guess it’s different, when it’s your own,” Crowley admitted. 

Aziraphale nodded in agreement, still watching the egg with rapt attention. 

After some wiggling and a few more experimental attempts, they seemed to take a rest for a moment before surging into a twisting motion that helped their wing spread the tear nearly halfway around the circumference of the egg. 

“Oh! Oh my,” Aziraphale looked about ready to faint from the excitement. 

Crowley kept sneaking glances at his angel’s face while watching their egg’s antics, torn between committing both images to his memory. Their egg won out in the end though, and both he and Aziraphale got to see the moment two little hands and then a head poked themselves out of the tear and into the world for the first time. 

“Oh my god,” Crowley began crying silent tears as he took in the shockingly red tuft of hair, curling already even as short as it was. Their eyes weren’t open yet, but a little tongue darted out to taste the air, revealing a distinctly forked shape to it. They seemed to be taking another rest, so Crowley and Aziraphale both used the moment to dry their eyes. 

“They’re so beautiful, my love, just like you. Oh, we’re so lucky,” Aziraphale beamed even through his tears of joy. 

“Angel…” Crowley wanted to refute him, but when phrased like that, he just couldn’t. It would imply their child was less than absolute perfection if he did, which they weren’t, so he just trailed off instead. 

Finally, their child wiggled the rest of their way out of the shell, revealing themselves to be naturally genderless, just like their parents. As strong as Crowley’s influence obviously was though, that could be subject to change later. Probably multiple times. 

With careful, delicate movements, Crowley scooped them up into his hands and cradled their little Shai against his chest. They were so small that they fit within a single hand, though their wings were already stretching and trying to unfurl to their fullest. Aziraphale was right there, gently wiping their eyes, nose, and mouth clean. A little forked tongue darted out to get a read on their surroundings again, even while they rested from their ordeal. 

“Fully feathered wings… I’d have never guessed,” Aziraphale marveled at every part of them, “Though I suppose all of us originally sprang into being that way as well…”

“Yeah, makes sense,” Crowley agreed, his voice cracking with the attempt to keep from sobbing. It was a lost cause though, and he cursed himself for letting his first interaction with his child be him crying over how beautiful they were...but it couldn’t be helped. At least Aziraphale was crying too, so he didn’t feel too singled out. 

When Crowley felt centered enough again, he let Aziraphale have a turn holding their miraculous little bundle. They both had a bit of a time getting the swaddling right with the wings to consider, at least, getting it right without using any miracles, but eventually they got it. 

Unfortunately, Crowley was still too emotional to keep from bursting into tears  _ again  _ when Shai finally opened their eyes, revealing a perfectly human, crystal clear blue that left no doubt as to their parentage. Aziraphale was basically holding both of them at that point, but if anything the angel relished it. He would never mind Crowley showing vulnerability to him. 

“Oh Crowley, my love, I’m so glad I got to share this with you,” Aziraphale said solemnly, absolute truth ringing in every word.

“Me too, angel,” Crowley whispered back, resonating, “Me too.”

<//>

A few days later, Crowley and Aziraphale were hesitant to take Shai outside, even to participate in all the Samhain festivities going on that Anathema had arranged. The Them had helped her decorate, and now fake cobwebs, tombstones, and cutesy ghosts were strewn all around Anathema’s carved pumpkins and divination supplies. Pretty much every kid in the village was in the yard of Jasmine Cottage, playing games and dancing to  _ spooky  _ music as the sun went down. 

An impromptu game of imaginary quidditch was just gearing up when Anathema noticed someone standing at the front gate. 

“Hi there, are you here for one of the kids?” she asked politely, wondering if one of the children needed to leave early. 

“Sort of,” the woman smiled back, “With the barriers being thinner today, I thought I’d pop in on Crowley and Aziraphale. I’m sort of a, distant relative,” She explained, then held up a couple neatly wrapped presents, “I brought gifts for Shai.”

Anathema knew of course, that Heaven and Hell were not to be trusted, but something about this woman’s aura just sang with sincerity. Even so, she decided on an abundance of caution, all things considered. She smiled politely and called over her shoulder, “Adam? Would you be a dear and let Crowley and Aziraphale know they have company?”

Adam was standing still in the middle of the yard, teenagers on broomsticks running all around him, while he stared at the woman at the gate. He nodded without a word, then trotted off at a quick pace to the door. 

With a deliberate slowness, Anathema opened the gate, but she didn’t feel any ill will coming off of their guest. She seemed perfectly content, as if she could happily be surrounded by running, screaming children all day. “Well, come on in. Did you want any refreshments, while you’re here?...”

“No, but thank you. It’s kind of you to offer,” the woman answered. 

There was nothing really left to do but lead her into the house at that point. 

Inside, the moment Adam burst in saying someone was here to  _ visit  _ them, Crowley picked Shai up and shielded them protectively while Aziraphale went to the window. 

“It has to be one of the angels, demons wouldn’t bother to make pretenses with the humans,” Crowley hissed. 

“Oh… Oh my…” Aziraphale paled. 

“Is it Gabriel?” Crowley worried. 

“No.  _ She’s _ not an angel or a demon,” Aziraphale said as he backed away from the window. He went to Crowley’s side immediately, so they could face their guest together. 

_ “She?” _ was all Crowley got out before Anathema was coming in with an overly polite smile, ushering an older woman in behind her. 

Adam took two strides and put himself between Her and the small otherworldly family. 

She just smiled indulgently at the action. 

“Oh, I didn’t get your name...” Anathema said as she turned, trying to break some of the tension in the air. 

“You wouldn’t be able to pronounce it,” the woman said without moving Her gaze off of Adam. 

The boy crossed his arms, frowning at Her. 

She grinned and gave a small, but kind, laugh. Her eyes flicked up to Crowley and Aziraphale standing frozen in shock behind him.

“That won’t work on me,” She explained, looking back at Adam, “But I applaud the gesture.” 

“Adam,” Crowley finally found his tongue, “Go back outside and play. There’s nothing for you to do here. Neither of you. Go on,” he urged both Adam and Anathema. 

“Yes, you should go back to the festivities,” Aziraphale echoed, gripping Crowley’s free hand tightly. 

“Are you sure?” Adam asked, turning his frown on them instead at the suggestion.

“Quite sure. This has nothing to do with you,” Aziraphale said confidently. 

Neither Adam nor Anathema looked quite sure of themselves or Aziraphale, but they did go. 

God looked for all the world like She was holding Her tongue until they left. Once the door was shut behind them, She smiled again and said, “I think we all know that’s not exactly true...but he’s not the reason I’m here right now, at any rate.”

“Why  _ are  _ you here?” Crowley blurted out, the suspense beginning to cause him physical pain. Pain in the direct vicinity of his unnecessary heart.

“I came to see my grandchild,” She answered, looking pointedly at Shai in Crowley’s arms, “Though technically Adam is as well, I never got to be part of his life growing up, considering the circumstances.”

Crowley and Aziraphale both looked like they had no idea what to do with that information. 

“I brought gifts, if you’ll allow me to give them,” She added, holding up the wrapped boxes. 

“You’re not mad?” Crowley asked in disbelief, still frozen in place where he was at the shock of it all. 

“Mad?” God asked, Her brow furrowing.

“About the Apocalypse, and, it not happening?...” Crowley said with a wince. 

“Oh, you mean The End?” God smiled at them, exactly like a parent would whose child has said something cute because of how they’ve completely misinterpreted the situation. “The End is still going on, it’s happening all around us right now. Adam was, and is, the absolute pinnacle of humanity. Now that he’s happened, there’s nothing else left for them to do but to decline,” She explained.

“Decline… Not,  _ be destroyed…” _ Aziraphale said, the question of it clear in his eyes. 

“Exactly. When it was the humans’ turn to be the dominant form of life, the birds and fish and animals didn’t get wiped out. They were just... _ diminished. _ The humans will continue to exist, but they’ll diminish now. It’s time for a new species to gain predominance,” She added, looking at Shai pointedly. 

Crowley felt more than a little light headed after hearing that, so he decided to sit down before he fell down. The effect of it was only partially augmented by his decision though, so the seat he took on the ground was rather graceless. Aziraphale immediately steadied him, kneeling at his side and making sure both he and Shai were alright. 

God took a seat in front of them, sitting cross legged and setting Her presents aside for the moment. 

“They won’t be immortal, not like the two of you are,” God informed them, “But their lifespan will be significantly longer than a human one.”

Crowley and Aziraphale both nodded, knowing there was no other or better source for such knowledge.

“So, we’re going to have more children then?” Crowley dared to ask, almost hopefully.

“If you choose to. Now that you’ve had Shai, the process of the change over has already been assured. It’ll just happen more slowly if you don’t have any others.”

“So we still have a choice…” Aziraphale said, but he was looking at Crowley, not at God.

She didn’t mind though, and answered, “Of course.”

Both the angel and demon breathed a sigh of relief to hear it spoken aloud. 

“Would it be ok if I held them?” She asked, motioning toward Shai with Her own hopeful look. 

Crowley and Aziraphale shared a glance without saying anything, but then Crowley nodded. He gently handed them over to God’s waiting arms. Seeing the brilliant smile on Her face as She peered down at his child made something loosen inside Crowley’s chest. 

“Oh, you were absolutely worth it, weren’t you?” God cooed, grinning from ear to ear as Shai grabbed onto Her finger and made a few soft hissing noises. 

“They were…” Crowley found himself agreeing, even though it wasn’t really directed at him. Although, it wasn’t as if Shai or God Herself had really been put through much by all of this, so maybe there wasn’t anyone else She could have been addressing with that  _ but  _ them…

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” God looked up at him, a twinkle in Her eyes. 

Crowley had a brief moment of wondering just how far back he might have agreed to all of this without being able to remember, but in the end he realized it didn’t really matter.

She handed Shai back after that, still smiling, and reached over to give them Her other presents. 

Crowley sucked in a sharp breath. “Is that?...” 

“Stardust? Yes. I wove it through the whole blanket, so it would be a comfort to them at night when you’re not around,” God informed them.

“Thank you,” Aziraphale said sincerely, in awe of the beauty and the symbolism. 

“Yeah- Yes, thank you,” Crowley nodded, running his fingers over and over the fabric. 

God got his attention again though when She revealed a baby rattle filled with  _ galaxies _ inside it. “They’re replicas only, of course,” She assured them, “No life of any kind. But considering who their mother is, I figured it would be a hit.” She held the rattle out just in front of Shai’s nose and gave it a little shake. Their eyes immediately lit up, and while they didn’t have the coordination to grab for things on their own just yet, they certainly  _ tried. _

All three beings chuckled as Shai’s limbs, even wings, waved around excitedly. 

“I have one more gift, for all three of you,” God said softly while they were distracted. 

And She snapped her fingers. 

Crowley, Aziraphale, and Shai all emitted a brief glow that was gone in only a second. There was no pain, nothing. In fact, Aziraphale felt like if he’d have blinked in that moment, he’d have missed it entirely. 

“What did you just do?” Crowley asked warily, as was his nature. 

“Nothing much. Only made it so that the three of you, and by definition, any other offspring you might choose to have, will all be impervious to whatever Heaven or Hell might throw at you. For real, this time,” God grinned, “No body swaps required.” 

Aziraphale and Crowley both gaped at Her. 

“You shouldn’t have to live in fear because of your love… And you’re welcome,” She nodded, as if knowing their shock wouldn’t permit them more than their silent staring. Then She stood up without giving them a chance to recover. “Well, I should be going, but I’ll drop by again around this time next year. I wouldn’t want to miss their first birthday.”

“Oh, of course,  _ thank you so much,” _ Aziraphale was the first to come to his senses. 

God just smiled and nodded, then left as abruptly as She’d shown up. 

As She walked to the gate, Adam stared at Her again. Pepper was lecturing a group off to the side, on the  _ proper  _ way to kill a vampire, while Brian bobbed for apples with Wensleydale’s encouragement. 

She waved as She walked by. 

Adam hesitantly waved back. 

In the house, both Aziraphale and Crowley continued to stare at the door after She’d left. 

“I suppose this means we could go back to London now, if we wanted… Though I do have to admit, Tadfield has grown on me,” Aziraphale said, taking Crowley’s free hand and squeezing it. 

“Maybe in a few years, when Shai’s bigger,” Crowley answered, squeezing back, “Just because we really are impervious to Hellfire and Holy Water now doesn’t mean that getting attacked wouldn’t still be scary for them,” he said, tipping his head down toward the babe in the crook of his arm, “She didn’t say Heaven and Hell wouldn’t bother us  _ at all, _ so I’d rather not risk it until they’re old enough to defend themselves...”

“Of course, you’re quite right, my love,” Aziraphale agreed, seeing the logic immediately. 

“And besides, I may have already told Wensleydale he could babysit, which wouldn’t really be feasible if we’re in London...” Crowley admitted. 

Aziraphale smiled fondly, then scooted closer and rested his head on Crowley’s shoulder. “That’s good to know. Perhaps we could look for our own little cottage around here though, rather than continue to infringe upon Anathema and Newton?” 

Crowley grinned as the fullness of their freedom truly hit him.

“That sounds perfect, angel.”

  
  
  
  


THE END


End file.
